Academic Visitor Scheme

About

The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) welcomes academic visitors and practitioners who wish to benefit from Oxford’s vibrant research culture and contribute to activities within the department.

The DPIR’s visitor programme exists to facilitate links and collaboration with other universities, governments and organisations, both in the UK and overseas, and to allow academics and practitioners the opportunity to collaborate in joint research with the department’s academics.

Visitor Experience

Oxford is a world class institution, and the Department of Politics and International Relations is a leader in the field in the UK, combining strength across all the major sub-disciplines, geographical coverage and intellectual pluralism with an excellent research environment.

Our visitor scheme offers the opportunity for academics and practitioners from other universities and organisations to participate in and contribute to Oxford research-related activities for a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year. Our academic visitors hold a doctoral qualification such as a PhD or DPhil, while our practitioner visitors come with a wealth of experience. A separate scheme exists for current doctoral students, who are invited to apply here.

Below are some of the key features of the DPIR visitor programme:

Academic Host

Each visitor has an academic host who will supply a letter of support as part of your application; provide advice on collaborations, events and other research activities; and introduce the visitor to relevant members of staff and other contacts.

Visitor Contribution

Visitors have the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of department activities during their stay. This may involve collaborating on a research project, organising an event, authoring or co-authoring a research paper or working paper, developing a research proposal for external funding or assisting a research centre in developing networks. Visitors are asked to provide an account of their activities within the department at the end of their stay, which will be received by the Head of Department and the Director of Research.

Resources for Visitors

In addition to the support of an academic host, visitors will be provided with a University card, University email, access to library services, printing facilities and a workspace with IT facilities in the department. Visitors are welcome to attend seminars and guest speaker events throughout the University. Depending on the length of their visit, visitors may also be eligible to apply for limited administrative support, and for funding of events.

Academic Host

Each visitor has an academic host who will supply a letter of support as part of your application; provide advice on collaborations, events and other research activities; and introduce the visitor to relevant members of staff and other contacts.

DPIR academic visitors are responsible for managing their own research activities and work agenda whilst in Oxford and normally will work independently. The visitor's Academic Host will offer advice and support wherever possible, although this may in practice be limited due to the host’s term-time and other commitments.

It is recommended that the prospective visitor consider who in the department might be able to offer a letter of support, and contact him/her for advice before applying. A list of full academic members of the Department can be found here.

DPIR Research Centres, Networks and Programmes

Our research centres, networks and programmes organise events, publish research and maintain networks relevant to particular fields of study. If your field of research is aligned with the research agenda of a research centre and you would like to work within the unit as a visitor, it is normal to ask the relevant director to be your academic host. Applicants are also asked to ensure that they have the approval of the particular research centre before continuing with their application. Acadmic visitors are also allowed to join one of the research networks in the Department once they have arrived if they are interested in doing so.

If you are interested in applyinng to a research centre, please contact the relevant centre administrator in the first instance, who will be able to confirm if the centre is willing to host you. If there is no formal programme listed on the research centre or programme website, please feel free to contact us to enquire whether the unit may be able to host your visit.

A full list of the department’s research centres, networks and programmes can be found online.

Timing Your Visit

Visitors may join the department for a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year. The timing of visits is an important consideration, as the atmosphere of the department changes across the academic year.

Applicants are advised to time their visit to coincide with one of Oxford’s three terms, as colleagues are more likely to be available during these times, and visitors who wish to participate in a full calendar of events and other similar research activities should aim to visit in Michaelmas or Hilary terms.

Conversely, if looking for a quieter working environment, you may prefer to visit in Trinity term or the long summer vacation.

Our Visitors

Our academic visitors generally hold an academic appointment at a university elsewhere and visit DPIR to pursue their research agenda within one of the department’s research centres or programmes, or within the department more generally.

Practitioners likewise will visit to collaborate in joint research with our academics. Post-doctoral applicants are also welcome.

Visitors will normally be given the title of ‘Visiting Research Fellow’ and will use this title in all references to their association with the department and the University of Oxford. ‘Senior Visiting Research Fellow’ may be given where appropriate.

What Our Visitors Say

"What did I like about my visit? Engagement with world class scholars, the unique collegiality at DPIR which meant that everyone had time to talk and I was made to feel very welcome, the facilities which are second to none, and what could possible beat Oxford at Christmas-time?" Read More

Evaluation

In order to improve the DPIR visitor experience, we will ask you to complete a feedback form at the end of your visit.

Visitor Charges

Departmental visitors will normally apply for research funding schemes through their home institution in order to fund the cost of their visit. Please note that the department does not provide salary or other financial payments to visitors, unless these form part of a visiting fellowship grant (see External Funding Schemes below).

The department visitor charges are:

Charge

Workspace with IT facilities

Resources

Shared Desk

Dedicated Workstation (subject to availability)

£600 per term

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£750 per term

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£250 per month

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£350 per month

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In addition to the support of an academic host, visitors will be provided with a University card, University email, access to library services, printing facilities and a workspace with IT facilities in the department. Visitors are welcome to attend seminars and guest speaker events throughout the University. Depending on the length of their visit, visitors may also be eligible to apply for limited administrative support, and for funding of events.

External Funding Schemes for Visitors

If you wish to apply for funding through the department, please make a case for exceptional consideration at least two months in advance of the funder's deadline. Applications through the department to external funding bodies will be considered separately from the application to visit, by the department's Research Committee.

Please note that the Department does not have any funding availalbe for visitors to apply for directly in order to support their visit to the Department.

A number of Oxford colleges also offer Visiting Fellowships – details are available on their respective websites.

How to Apply

Application Deadlines

The deadlines for the academic year 2019 – 20 are:

Friday 27 September 2019 (Michaelmas term)

Friday 3 January 2020 (Hilary term)

Friday 10 April 2020 (Trinity term)

Your Application

Applications to the Academic Visitor scheme will be considered by the department's General Purposes Committee/Head of Department and will be assessed on suitability of the applicant’s qualifications, background and experience, the proposed contribution to the department's activities, and the strength of the letter of support from the Academic Host.

Your application to the DPIR visitor programme will include the following:

Once we have processed your application, we will write to you confirming the outcome, and if successful, confirm the details of your visit.

Visas and Work Permits

If you do not hold a passport from a European Economic Area (EEA) member country or Switzerland, please contact the Administrative Officer, Jason Hussain well in advance of your proposed visit start date in order to discuss visa arrangements. Please note that you will need to wait until you are accepted as a DPIR Visitor before you apply for a visa. Once accepted we will provide a letter of support to facilitate your visa application. The following will apply:

Please contact the Administrative Officer, Jason Hussain if you require further information. For further information regarding Tier 5 work permits, please contact the Personnel Officer.

College Association

If you wish to apply for association with a college for the duration of your visit, you will need to contact the relevant college directly. Please find a list of colleges here. Please note that there is a separate fee for college association: you will find details on individual college websites.

Please note that the Academic Visitors programme is for academics and practitioners. Students are not eligible. If you are undertaking study towards a PhD/DPhil or equivalent qualification, you must apply via the Visiting Student Route.